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Illinois School Board Journal - ARCHIVES
March-April, 2002
ASK THE STAFF:
Trust, strategy help to implement change
This issue's question is answered by Gerald Glaub, IASB deputy director for member services, and Angela Peifer, IASB director of school board development.
Question: I often return from IASB workshops and meetings with great ideas for improving our district, but other members of the board pay no attention. How can I make good use of what I learn at such programs?
Answer:You have obviously learned that one member of the school board cannot bring about change without the support of the rest of the board (or at least a majority). Your first priority, then, is to establish a trusting and supportive relationship with other members of your board. Without that, most everything else is wasted motion.
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says trust grows when two key elements are in place: character and competence. Character is about acting with integrity, consistency, maturity and trustworthiness ("walking the talk") while competence is possessing sufficient skill and experience to perform the task at hand.
Begin by honestly assessing where you stand with your board colleagues around these issues. Have past events, disagreements or arguments put either in jeopardy? Are you still relatively new to the board and haven't had time to adequately demonstrate your strength of character or competence?
In either case, the trust issue will almost certainly need to be dealt with before you can hope to begin moving your board colleagues. Sometimes, that occurs over time as you prove yourself through board service. In other cases, it may require that you first focus on rebuilding damaged relationships.
If your aim is solely to get your school board to improve how it functions, your second priority should be to develop a strategy focused on this one end. It is possible to bring about purposeful change, but only if you work from these basic premises:
If you want board colleagues to adopt your vision, you need to become a "change agent," willing to work quietly to bring information to them -- perhaps one at a time -- nurturing their interest as it develops and slowly helping them see your vision.
Surprisingly, the best way to do this is to listen rather than speak. Generally, board colleagues and the superintendent are too busy to drop everything and focus on someone else's current obsession, no matter how relevant or well intentioned.
If you invest time listening to your colleagues and superintendent, you will have an opportunity to learn their concerns or dreams. Armed with that information, you may find opportunities to introduce your ideas as potential solutions to their concerns.
Listening also will help you understand the obstacles and barriers you face in trying to initiate meaningful change. Every good coach understands the necessity of thoroughly scouting the "opponent" before planning the game strategy. Change agents would be wise to follow that example.
Remember, your board colleagues also want what is best for the district. However, past practices, old habits and "sacred cows," which may have outlived their effectiveness, are rarely easy to give up unless there is a very compelling reason to do so. The successful change agent understands this and works to provide that reason while maintaining and building trust.
Finally, remember that the more successful you are as a change agent, the less credit you will get for the changes that are eventually adopted. You need to be clear about what you really want -- your name in lights or a better school board.